WYSO, Antioch launch digital audio archives

YELLOW SPRINGS – Public radio station WYSO, in collaboration with the Greene County Public Library and Antioch College, will open the WYSO Digital Audio Archives for online listening on Friday, June 19, 2015 in conjunction with WYSO’s first-ever reunion. The full archive can be accessed at http://wyso.org/archives.

The audio collection contains historic and important recordings made at the station since the station went on the air in 1958. Three hundred hours of the collection have been digitized and catalogued with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and considerable in-kind contribution from the Greene County Public Library.

The collection contains such historic gems such as recordings made by WYSO of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as he addressed the 1965 graduation class of Antioch College and President Lyndon B. Johnson during an appearance at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds, plus scores of public figures, writers, activists, musicians, citizens and students.

“WYSO has been a community gathering place for decades,” said WYSO General Manager Neenah Ellis. “This collection reflects a wide of issues and viewpoints from this region through the years. “

“This archive puts an incredible amount of valuable historical information – not just interesting to Yellow Springs and the Miami Valley, but of national import – at the finger tips of listeners across the country,” said Antioch College President Mark Roosevelt. “We’re extremely proud of WYSO and their collaboration with Greene County Library and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.”

“The WYSO Digital Audio Archives serves as a rich source for historic material documenting Yellow Springs and Antioch College, yet in addition, the range of WYSO’s radio coverage throughout its existence provides insight into how national historic events and movements shaped local communities across America,” said Casey Davis, Project Manager at the American Archive of Public Broadcasting. “The WYSO Digital Audio Archives will be a wonderful resources for historians, scholars, educators, students and kids of all ages to explore America’s history.”

“The WYSO audio collection is another example of the rich and diverse history of Greene County,” said Deanna Ulvestad, Head Archivist at the Greene County Public Library. “I consider it a privilege to work on this collaborative project that tells the story of how the local community was affected by and responded to a period of profound social change. Preserving and making this resource accessible now and for future generations is important work.”